Girls' Day 2026

On 23 April 2026, the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI) once again opened its doors to twenty students as part of this year’s nationwide Girls’ Day. Participants aged 11 to 16 visited different labs in Frankfurt, Gießen and Bad Nauheim to gain insights into cardiovascular and pulmonary research.

The aim of the day was to provide hands-on experience beyond the classroom and to offer a realistic impression of scientific work in line with the goals of Girls’ Day.

After an introduction to lab safety, the students took part in hands-on activities guided by researchers. In Frankfurt, they explored neurovascular interactions in the heart and learned techniques such as cryo-sectioning, tissue staining, confocal microscopy, and PCR analysis. In Gießen, they gained insights into macrophage research, organoid models, and advanced lung research methods, including FACS and imaging techniques. In Bad Nauheim, they worked with different microscopes, learned about virus visualization using TEM, and visited the zebrafish facility.

Throughout the day, the participants became increasingly engaged, asking questions and actively contributing to the experiments. We had inspiring conversations with them about careers in science and the possible different paths into research and academia! It was encouraging to observe their growing interest as they worked with laboratory equipment and gained their first practical experience.

Several participants expressed interest in staying connected with our research, which we greatly appreciate. We would be delighted to welcome them again in the future.